I am taking a moment to write this post at 1:57 local time, Feb. 28, just a few minutes before Pope Benedict officially renounces the role of Holy Father. The beautiful bells of Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart started ringing at 1:52, offering an eight-minute tribute to the Pope, the Papacy, and the Church that journeys onward. The bells always bring a beautiful sound right outside my office window here at the Institute for Educational Initiatives, but they touch a melancholy note today because it really does feel like a worldwide family is fatherless at the moment–yes indeed, the bells just stopped, it is the 8 pm time of resignation in Rome. I am thankful that the Lord is always with us, that the Holy Spirit is always guiding us as individuals and as a Church, and we shall not be left orphans. Bells like these at Notre Dame always ring out hope, especially valued during this Lenten season when we are especially mindful of the Cross, which is truly our only hope, as the Congregation of Holy Cross wisely points out. As Francis of Assisi used to say, Peace and all good things, Papa Benedict.